chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Jan 2, 2010 19:26:07 GMT -5
Finally got here from friends in California... can't wait to work it but wife has put her foot down - clean the garage before starting cabbing... lol Here's a few pics: Think I'm going to tumble the smaller one's and then cab the two big ones. Suggestions? Advice??
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 2, 2010 20:07:06 GMT -5
YUMMY!!!!!
I have developed a love for the obsidians.
It appears you have Mahogany there .... some pictures of dry pieces are good too.
I am by no means an expert. However .... I have done a few batches and by trial and error (still) have learned there are things you should not do with obsidian.
My first question to you is ....
How big are those pieces?
Next set of questions ...
Can the larger pieces be slabbed? Are you tumbling with a rotary? I sure hope so .... a vibe ...(in my opinion) would be much too aggressive (even in ideal conditions) for this awesome volcanic glass.
As always Julie
And ..... the most important thing about working with the obsidians is cushion, cushion, and more cushion.
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 2, 2010 20:07:37 GMT -5
ps ....
I am in Fillmore, California
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
|
Post by chromenut on Jan 2, 2010 20:20:42 GMT -5
This is total 1 pound of obs. The one dead center and the one at 2 o'clock are just large enough to cab. The one in the center I'm going to cab, it's about 4" across. The one at 2 I'm going to carefully grind and do a face polish while leaving the sides natural. We'll see how it turns out.
And what do you mean by cushion? Remember, I'm still a virgin to this so treat me kindly...lol... oh and because I like these so much they are currently in my office on my display shelf where they will remain until I'm good enough to take them on...
oh, and yes, they are going to be tumbled. I've not used the vibe yet for any rocks, only for hard stuff and a few coins.
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Post by deb193redux on Jan 2, 2010 21:36:27 GMT -5
Well, if you hold out the 2 larger ones, then you will need 2-3 lbs more of obsidian. I do not recommend putting in harder rock with the obsidian. Instead of 25% ceramic media I would cushion with about 33%. Unless the barrel is almost full, they will chip each other up. I suggest you get some Mahogany and/or gold-sheen to spice up the batch. Depending on the sell and whether it is hand-picked or "just off the pile" it will vary from about $0.35/lb to $1/lb. When I lived in Oregon I got about 75lbs of good Mahogany for only $0.35 cents a pound. I pulled it off this pile, which still has some great material for the price, but IMHO I pulled the best 100lbs off of it already. Traded some of it and looking forward to working the rest. I know Tony has some, and I could give you the contact info for Cota's Lapidary where I got mine. Run 120/220 then 500F then 1000 tripoly or 1200g SiC, then AO polish. The 4-step is more important with softer stones. Most obsidian will polish, but a percentage just frosts. Sometimes they look better after pre-polish than after polish. Usually the answer is more cushioning.
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Jan 3, 2010 13:41:03 GMT -5
Oh would love to add that to the batch, that is some gorgeous stone! And you answered my next set of questions perfectly! I am going to hold off on any batches that I can't do because I don't have enough to tumble rather than mix a harder stone in the batch. I've seen what this stone looks like with all the pitting and nicks if you mix in say an agate with it, so rather than waste a smaller batch like this, I'll try and get me some similar hardness stones like you suggest. I'm seldom in a hurry, these stones have been here longer than me so they won't be in any hurry to take a shine. One thing I've learned very well over the last few years is that patience really pays off if you want something done right....
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